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I think I'll just stay away from the whole "Haunted" thing and just advertise it as a historic home. I don't think we have to disclose possible hauntings, but I do think we have to disclose if anyone was murdered there or died there, which I do not know about. The current owners have had it for about 50 years though, so if anything happened it was a long time ago.
I want to know if you really have to disclose ghosts??? sorry lmao here,,,, and lets say you dont disclose this and it does come up? they find out you were told about that, can the buyer come back to "haunt" you????????? no pun intended, but I could not resisit.
I dont think I would list it as haunted, but when showing it, I would mention it to cover my butt, because as we all know, stranger things have happened - make sure its mentioned somewhere, but imho not the listing
In New York, failing to disclose conditions about which there are no readily accessible or available public records, such as those concerning the "reputation" of a property or surrounding area, which may substantially affect its value may also lead to liability. This theory was applied to a "haunted" house in Nyack, where the buyer sued the seller and broker to rescind the contract and seek damages arising from the failure to disclose the existence of poltergeists - noise-making ghosts. The court found the house in Stambovsky v. Ackley was "haunted as a matter of law" due to the owner's efforts to publicize the presence of ghosts in various publications, and that this greatly impaired the potential of the property for re-sale. Additionally, the buyer was not a local, but a resident of New York City, and thus in no position to know the ghoulish reputation of the property in the community. In other words, she was unable to walk into a county clerk's office and ask to see a "Registry of Haunted Homes," and - since she was not a local - could not benefit from local coffee-klatch gossip or "common knowledge. "
In rather tongue-in-cheek fashion, the court stated: "The notion that a haunting is a condition which can and should be ascertained upon reasonable inspection of the premises is a hobgoblin which should be exorcised from the body of legal precedent and laid quietly to rest. "
Governor Pataki recently signed specific "haunted house" legislation which loosens the requirements on sellers and brokers, passed in response to the ruling in this case.)
In MA, it does not have to be disclosed, since the haunting cannot be, technically, proven.
But perception is reality. I had a client who wanted to view a home but she had previously informed me that she didn't want to live in a home where anyone had died (under any circumstances, natural or otherwise). I told her if it was more than 25 years old, it was a safe bet that someone had died there and I still couldn't guarantee otherwise, no matter how new or old the house was.
She's decided to build.
Here's my "old house" story. A landmark in town because of the landscaping. Absolutely gorgeous and with a TON of character, interior and exterior. Copper ceilings, and all. Was converted to apartments and then back to single family w/inlaw.
Open house, first weekend on market.
A woman in her 60's brings her Alzheimer's mother to the OH. They lived there when it had been converted to multi-family. The woman's sister died as a child and was waked in the living room. Before Funeral Homes. Daughter was trying to get Mom to remember. At my Open House. Very well-attended, I might add.
It did eventually sell to someone who understood that wakes used to be in the living room.
Well, don't know about listing . . . but here is my story.
We thought we might be moving to Atchison, KS at one point, so a realtor was showing us potential properties. I was especially interested in the huge, old historic properties as I thought perhaps I would like doing a B&B.
I walked into the house and immediately had the sensation of a lady in a turn of the century dress walking from room to room right ahead of me. I kept saying that I felt I was catching glimpses of a lady - very elegant - hair elegantly coifed - pulled up. The owners were there, btw, wh/ I thought was odd. They kept saying - oh, my, really? What does she look like? So I described her.
I kept walking through the house (nothing weird or strange - just a pleasant lady in a dress that seemed to be from maybe - 1910 or so).
Finally, got to a bedroom and there on the wall - was a picture of the lady I had seen - hair piled on top of her head! Turns out she was the original owner of the house.
I told the owners and realtor - this is who I am seeing. THey said - well we do have people say they think they have caught glimpses of her.
I so wanted to buy that house and would have, but we didn't move to Atchison. Later, I found out Atchison is considered one of the most haunted cities in America. At the time, I had no clue.
Here's another strange twist, the lady wants me to come out to the house on the 23rd. She will not give me the address though, or even tell me where it is. She said, "We are selling the house, not the location". Well, location is a very important thing in real estate!! She says she will call me on the 22nd and give me directions to get there.
Any idea why someone wouldn't want to give me the address?
Here's another strange twist, the lady wants me to come out to the house on the 23rd. She will not give me the address though, or even tell me where it is. She said, "We are selling the house, not the location". Well, location is a very important thing in real estate!! She says she will call me on the 22nd and give me directions to get there.
Any idea why someone wouldn't want to give me the address?
They dont want you there previously taking pictures, ppl are strange, you should know that by now
Here's another strange twist, the lady wants me to come out to the house on the 23rd. She will not give me the address though, or even tell me where it is. She said, "We are selling the house, not the location". Well, location is a very important thing in real estate!! She says she will call me on the 22nd and give me directions to get there.
Any idea why someone wouldn't want to give me the address?
Okay - this may be way off - but could it be a site of a well known murder or incident?
All I have is her e-mail, she found me because of my blog, and e-mailed me. It could be that it is a well-known haunted house, or historical home, or that it is in a horrible part of town... I just don't know. I guess I'll find out and if it's too scary (house OR location) I just will have to tell her to find someone else.
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